Cairo-based logistics startup Illa (ILLA) has raised $500,000 in a seed round from Averroes Venture Capital, AUC Angels, and some local and regional angel investors. The round also includes follow-on funding from Flat6Labs Cairo. Illa was part of Flat6Labs Cairo’s Spring 2019 cycle.
Launched in March 2019, Illa offers full-stack delivery solutions to corporates and SMEs operating in the FMCG (Fast-moving consumer goods) industry. Its services are designed for manufacturers, distributors, hypermarkets, hotels, F&B chains, and many other stakeholders involved in the FMCG industry. Its supply just like any other trucking aggregator comes in form of freelance truck drivers or third-parties but the solutions are strictly focused on FMCG.
The startup before its official launch was in private beta testing its services with multiple pilot clients who it says are still part of its portfolio.
Illa’s clients can book its services in a few easy steps by selecting the truck type, filling in pickup and dropoff details (it supports multiple dropoffs too), and adding notes or attachments. Illa then picks up the shipment, transports it at designated locations and receives cash (if any) on behalf of its clients. Its network of trucks with different types and capacities can act as an internal fleet for the FMCG companies, notes its websites.
The clients can keep an eye on the deliveries through a dashboard that also comes with different types of analytics and reports.
The startup adding that it now operates within 24 governorates across Egypt and has delivered 7 million cases so far.
It is already working with some of the biggest names in FMCG industry including CocaCola, P&G, Nestle, and Pepsico. Illa’s clients also include many leading local entities as well, it said in a statement.
The Egyptian startup plans to use the latest investment to grow further in Egypt and explore potential regional markets to expand into.
South Africa Today
Read more at VolaNews
